Blog & News

April 3, 2024

Spend More Time Outside, It’s Good for You!

Author: Zoe Bross

For many of us, most of our time is spent indoors, either at the office, home, or a coffee shop tapping away at our computers or looking at our phones. It’s time that we get up and get into outdoor spaces, as being outside can improve mental and physical wellbeing.

People who have access to outdoor spaces have more opportunities to be active, which is a huge contributor to physical wellbeing. Those who spend time outside often have better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic disease likely due to time spent on outdoor activities and exercise.  

Time in nature can also greatly reduce stress in your life—which matters because chronic stress can increase risk of  chronic disease, illness, and death. Spending time outside calms the nervous system and lowers cortisol levels, muscle tension, and heart rates.

Unfortunately, nature and outdoor spaces are not accessible for everyone. The Trust for Public Lands has conducted studies for their 10-Minute Walk project showing that “1 in 3 U.S. Residents do not have a park or green space within a 10-minute walk of home.” At Great Ecology, many of our projects have a focus on ecological design and mitigation work that helps make green spaces more useable to the surrounding community.

Our work redesigning First Creek Nature Play Park in Denver, CO engages park users in a way that enlivens the senses and encourages out-of-the-box thinking. Our redesign of La Lomita Park created more playable space, improved sightlines, upgraded the playground—all while also offering water quality improvements. In New York, we’ve been working on water quality improvements for Oakdale Lake, which is used for recreation and fishing.

We hope to encourage you to get outside when you can and play—it’s good for your body, and your brain!